Carton for packaging and displaying articles



April 30, 1957 s. HILLMAN CARTON FOR PACKAGING AND DISPLAYING ARTICLES 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Nov. 6, 1953 faves-7on April 30, 1957 i S. HILL MAN CARTON FOR PACKAGING A ND DISPLAYING ARTICLES Filed NOV. 6, 1953 '2 Shee'ts-Sheet 2 NVEMTOM 3 W P ZZMw-J 40 CA/F-TORMEY/ CARTON FOR PACKAGINGAND DISPLAYING ARTlfiLES Swan Hillman, Rockford, ill

Application November 6, 1953, Serial No. 390,484 Claims. (Cl; 206-452) This invention relates to cartons for packaging articles of merchandise and, more -particularly,-to cartons :which may be opened and reassembled to form a unit for-displaying the merchandise.

The general object of the invention is to provide a new and improved carton of the above "character which is inexpensive tomanufacture, which is easy-to assemble for both packaging anddisplay purposes and .which forms not only a secure package but also a neat :and attractive display.

Another object is to make the carton. in two similar parts which are triangular 'inshapeand mate witli each other to form a package enclosing the merchandise-and which may be reassembled to fornra display simply by removing one half and placing. itunder thesecondhalf to tilt the latter up at an angle, .the-exposedzmerchandise remaining in the second halfand also being tilted so "that it may be viewedmore easily.

A more detailed object 'is to use-two right-triangular halves which forma rectangularcarton and whichare held together both as a packaging carton-and as andisplay unit by means of novel fastening elements- Other objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent from the following detailed description Fig. 4 is a perspective view of.several-assemblcddisplay units.

Fig. 5 is a sectional view taken along the. lin'er5 -.5 in Fig. 1.

Fig. 6 is a plan view ona reduced; scale-of asheet of cardboard from which a part of the carton is made.

Fig. 7 is a top view;of. the;carton with-parts broken away and shown in section.

As shown in the drawings for purposes of illustration, the invention is embodied in a carton 10 for packaging and displaying merchandise, such "as screws and the like,

which may be contained in transparent .plasticboxes -11. The latter, when shipped to the retailergare enclosed-by the carton which preferably is of rectangular shapeand comprises top, bottom, side and end walls 12, 13, 14,15

and 16. Cartons of this type may conveniently be arranged to be opened and reassembled in such a manner as to form axdisplay with the: boxes .ll'exposedso that the merchandise may be seen by the consumer. V

The present invention contemplates the provision of a novel carton which is comparatively inexpensive to manufacture, which is simple both to assemble for shipment and to reassemble for display, and which provides a neat and attractive display while permitting the boxes 11 to be removed easily. To these ends, the carton is 2,790,542 Patented Apr. 30, 1957 ice .the lower half to act-as a w'edge which tilts the lower half and hence the boxes display.

ln the present instance, the two i carton 1 halves-.- 17 and l8-rareidenti'caland are right triangular in' shape s'othat, by" placing the diagonal edges 19 Fi'g. 2-)-of*the halves up at an -ang le to form the togetherras -shownin' Fig- 1, the latterform-a rectangular carton for enclo'sing'the boxes 11. When the up er-halt 17 is removed, the boxes areuncovered as 'illtistratedin Fig. 2 and :thus may be left in the lower-ha'lf 1 8 when displayed tothe consumer. "Inorder that the-consumer sees the topsof :the boxesand readily=views them'er'chandise-in'side,-' the upperhalfi is placed on its diagonal edge (Figs. 3 and-4) whereby 'the top wall 12- on this half-is inclinecl an'd the lower half-is -mounted on the upper'half with'the bottom wall 13 onthe top wall IZ -So'thatthe two' halves form a parallelogramand the boxes-are-tilted up at an angle. Each carton=half is made of cardboard or-the like-and is composed of two right triangular slde panelswith the t two lperpe'ndicular edges of one panel joined to the corresponding edges of the -other panel '-hy rectangular Walls. The. upper half 17;ffor example; comprisesspaced and parallel triangular side panels 20, a rectangular wall 12 which, joins the longeredges-of ahesidemnel's and forms 'the top wall of thecarton; anda secon'clrectangular wa'll' 15 joining the shorter edges of the panel :to' form the: carton end wall. This half n ay be made from a :singleijflat sheet "21 of cardboard: cut to'the-shape shownin Fig. ,6. The sheet is folded along the' lines 22 between the top wall '12 a-nd the-side=panels 20 and then the parts 23 and'l24;'Whi'ch together cons't itute -the end vWall :15,-arev folded in along the' l'ines 25=so that one'overlies'the :other as -shown in Figi'i T he two end' wall parts are 1 pasted or otherwise, secured together to retain "the-sfolded-eshape of Ithe' half. 'TT-he'-lower'=half- ='18 isisiniilarly vformed by triangular side-panels 20 and the rectangular endand bottom walls lfi and 13- and -als'o is folded-from: a single Es'heet': like I that'in: Fig. .6.

-Me'ans is provided for-.;attaching the lower halt 18-to the upper half "17.:whn1the latter isxacting as a:wedge s'o* that the twohalves are .heldtogethe'nas a rigid-display unit. 'This; means comprises, a fastening element 27 Which is. apart of one half. and engages the other half to: lock the two halves together and prevent 'thelowerhalf from sliding on the inclined wall 12. J Preferably'thereis a fastening :element' on eachhalfand the two' fastening elements vareat oppositeends of-the carton =to-obtai-n optimum-rigidity. Herein,. each fastening element 27 is a tab projecting from one half and received in a-slot- -28 in-;th'e other half. "The tabs 27 may, as illustrated,--be extensions of. Lthelonger walls of the carton halves, that is,.the top .wall 12 on the upper=half and-'the=bottom-wall 13 :on the lower half, :and are joined to these walls by fold linesl29 :(Fig- 6.).

The slotsj28 -foi' receivi -malaise 2.7 arein the ends With the foregoing arrangement, the tab 27 on the lower half 18 is over the slot 28 on the upper half 17 when the two halves are placed together to form the display (see Fig. 3) and the tab is bent down and inserted into the slot to lock the halves together. Similarly, at the other end of the display unit, the tab on the half 17 is bent up and into the slot in the half 18.

Preferably, the tabs 27 also are efiective to hold the two carton halves 17 and 18 together when the latter form the rectangular packaging carton 10. For this pur pose, each carton half is formed with a slot 31 in the outer end of the corresponding end wall 15 or 16 where it is in position to receive the tab on the other half when the two halves are placed together with their diagonal edges 19 abutting against each other. Herein, the slot 31 is defined by the two parts 23v and 24 of the end walls, these parts being pasted together only a portion of the distance from the corner of the half. In this way, the ends of the parts 23 and 24 may be separated and the tab 27 inserted between them as shown in Fig. 5.

When the carton 10 is assembled for shipping with the tabs 27 received in the slots 31, the two halves 17 and 18 are prevented from separating by a band or sheet 32 of paper or the like wrapped around the carton so as to overlie the side walls 14 and the top and bottom walls 12 and 13. To open the carton, the band 32 is out along the diagonal edges 19 of the carton halves so that the upper half may be removed. Such cutting is facilitated by recessing the intermediate portions of the diagonal edges as indicated at 33 (Fig. 2) and, when the halves are placed together, the recesses form a slot 34 (Figs. 1 and 5) into which a knife or other cutting tool may project.

If desired, each of the halves 17 and 18 may be used individually to display the plasticboxes 11. In this case, the half is disposed with the end wall (in the case of the half 17) facing down and the top wall 12 upright and against a wall of the room. The half is hung in this position on the wall such as by a nail projecting through ahole 35 in the tab 27. The boxes 11 then are stacked in the half and rest on the wall 15.

It will be observed that the carton halves 17 and 18 not only form an effective enclosure for shipping merchandise but also may be assembled as a neat and attractive unit for displaying the merchandise. When assembled either as a packaging carton or a display unit, the halves are held together securely by the tabs 27. At the same time, the carton is comparatively inexpensive since both halves may be identical inconstruction. Different types of displays may be formed by employing two or more cartons at the same time. For example, several display units may be used together and arranged side by side in a row as shown in Fig. 4 to form a larger display or to present a wider variety of merchandise.

, I claim as my invention: I l. A display carton comprising two boxes of the same size and right triangular shape formed separately from 2. A display carton comprising two boxes of the same size and right triangular shape formed separately from each other and each open along its diagonal and closed along first and second sides opposite the diagonal, said boxes abutting each other along said first sides and forming a tilted display carton of parallelogram shape open at the top and the bottom, and a set of fastening devices holding said boxes together with said first sides thereof in abutment and comprising a tab integral with one box and means on the other box releasably receiving the tab.

'3. A display carton comprising two separate boxes of the same size and right triangular shape each open along its diagonal and closed along first and second sides opposite the diagonal, said boxes abut-ting each other along said first sides and forming a tilted display carton shaped as a parallelogram open at the top and the bottom, and a set of fastening elements formed integral with said boxes and interfit-ting releasably with each other, said fastening elements holding the boxes together in said carton while permitting separation of the boxes and rearrangement of the same with their diagonals abutting to form a rectangular shipping carton.

4. A shipping carton comprising two separate boxes of the same size'and right triangular shape each open along its diagonal and closed along first and second sides. opposite the diagonal, said boxes abutting each other along said diagonals and forming a closed rectangular carton, means on each box defining a slot adjacent each end of said second side of the box, and a tab formed on each box adjacent the acute angle end of said first side of the box and fitting releasably into a first one of said slots of the other box thereby holding the boxes assembled togethen-said tab of each of said boxes being removable from said first slot of the other box and adapted to fit into the other of the slots of the other box whereby to hold the boxes assembled together as a display carton of parallelogram shape after separation and rearrange- V ment of the boxes to bring said first sides into abutment each other and each open along its diagonal and closed along first and second sides opposite the diagonal, said boxes abutting each other along said first sides and forming a tilted display carton shaped as a parallelogram open at thetop and the bottom, a flap formed as an extension of said first side of each box at the acute angle end of the side, and means on each box defining a slot opening outwardly adjacent the right angle corner of the box and receiving said flap of the other box thereby holding the boxes assembled releasably together in said parallelogram with the flaps concealed on the interior of the boxes.

with each other. 7

:5. A shipping carton comprising two separate boxes of the same size and right triangular shape each open along its diagonal and closed along first and second sides opposite the diagonal, said boxes abutting each other along their diagonals and forming a closed rectangular shipping carton, and fastening means on each of said boxes engaging the other box and holding the boxes assembled together, said fastening means including a tabprojecting from said first side of each box adjacent the acute angle endof the side and a slot opening outwardly adjacent the right angle corner of the box and adapted to receive said tab of the other box whereby to hold the boxes releasably assembled as a display carton of parallelogram shape after separation and rearrangement of the boxes to bring said first sides into abutment with each other.

References Cited the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Great Britain Aug l9 1936 

